The Arcane Order

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The Arcane Order
the_arcane_order.jpg
Flag of The Arcane Order
Motto: There is no knowledge that is not power
Region Lazarus
Capital Any Knowledge Class vessel
Official Language(s) Binary, any language taken from those Harvested
Leader The Ancient and Venerable Masters
Population >3n
Currency Tanreall Unit 
NS Sunset XML


History of The Arcane Order (TAO)

The Arcane Order is a collection of ancient individuals (known as the Ancient and Venerable Masters, or Arcanites) who long ago came to the conclusion that the flesh was weak, that only the Machine was strong. Through their dedication to knowledge the Masters decided to preserve their minds, that they might live on to gather more information and thus, more power.

Towards this end they built the first vessel, it was a mere two hundred metres long, with minor offensive capabilities and pathetic compared to the mighty warships of other nations, but it was a start.

Much, much later the first true Knowledge Class ship was created. Seventeen kilometres long, heavily armed, armoured and powered it consisted of Dead Metal (normal metal, that is) and the Living Metal. Capable of redesigning its weapons in moments to suit its foes, it stood guard over Tanreall, ancient home of the Order's forebears.

It took decades to ready the first of the Arcanite Fleets, centuries to develop the most advanced artificial intelligence systems that the Order could, and then to use those to produce even greater ones.

Eventually, the Great Fleets stood ready, the Grandmasters of the Order ready to launch their great crusade for the betterment of their people, thousands-strong crews prepared to assist their lords for the greater good. The first few decades of The Crusade were a huge success for the people of Tanreall, bringing to them an empire of people who prospered under the rule of the Grandmasters of Knowledge.

Then came the War of Ignorance. Betrayed by jealous allies, and assailed from all sides, the Great Fleets were sundered, from the greatest Knowledge Class to the most minor of Synapse Frigates the Arcane Order was hunted down and their great citadel of learning, the Tanreall Spire and indeed the world of Tanreall itself, bastion of learning and civilisation, was destroyed by those who cared only for the fruits of the Order's labour, and not at all for the knowledge itself. But, the gifts of knowledge are a double edged blade. While it is true that they can bring great rewards, without the knowledge of their use they can and will turn against those who use them. Power generators strong enough to supply an entire world, yet smaller than a human were used as weapons, instruments of learning were taken for baubles and weapons powerful enough to annihilated entire systems at a time were misused. Eventually, through the very rewards claimed from the Ruins of Tanreall the destroyers of knowledge were destroyed through their own ignorance.

But is has been a million times a million years since the War of Ignorance, and few survivors in but one of the Great Arcanite Fleets rebuilt their forces, using machine to replace long-dead living crew. The Bridge was redesigned and rebuilt on the new Knowledge Class ships, the new Arcanite Fleets were built so that the weakness of flesh could no more halt the eternal search for knowledge.

So it is that now, only a single living being may control an entire Great Fleet, a single entity, now known as an Ancient and Venerable Master by the AIs who serve the being that one walked but is now forever encased within their flagship. The Arcane Order has slept for millenia, and now they are waking once more. Their crusade for knowledge and dominion will continue, and they will do whatever is necessary to safeguard their task - they will even Harvest entire systems and civilisations to keep their advanced vessels running...for which is more valuable? All the arcane knowledge of the Ancient and Venerable Masters, gathered through uncounted aeons of existence, or the petty desires of any Empire, that will rise and fall like any other?